KinWing Edas Wong is a street photographer from Hong Kong who studied telecommunications at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. His name often pops up in the lists of finalists at international street photography festivals. He won the All About Photo’s Merit Award (2022), IPA 3rd Place Oneshot SP Geo (2019), Brussels Street Photography Festival International Singles Public Prize (2017), Juror Pick LensCulture SP Award (2016), and also X Prime (Leica X1/X2) Contest Second prize (2014).
Edas Wong loves imagination, easily identifying juxtapositions and capturing surrealism in ordinary, often humorous, street moments.
Hello, Edas,
First of all, I would like to thank you for taking the time to tell us about you and your work in this interview.
To begin, where are you from? Please tell us about yourself and your passions.
My name is Edas Wong, a self-taught amateur street photographer. I was born in Hong Kong. In 2005 I moved to Stockholm, Sweden with my wife to work as an engineer in the R&D department of a leading mobile network. In 2014, we had to subsequently move back to Hong Kong where we currently reside and I work till now. I have a few different hobbies: photography, bodybuilding, meditation, and reading.
One interesting thing about me: I like to take photos; however, I don’t like to be photographed :)
In this regard we are very similar, Edas. :)
What inspired you to approach photography? How did this journey start?
My photography journey was developed in nature. I initially photographed my girlfriend (now she is my wife) for memory. Then, I moved to landscape/travelling photography. At that time, I bought a lot of equipment, e.g. different prime lenses, tripods, etc. Later on, I stopped photography because of the heavy workload. In 2011~2012, I started getting tired of too much logical work (I was an engineer in the R&D department at that time) and wanted to have a new daily hobby that didn’t need logical thinking. Thus, I selected street photography. Why? It is because street photography is like part of living. Street photos can be taken on streets, subways, trains,.. everywhere. Furthermore, a small camera is enough. What I need is just to pick up a camera, go out and then shoot… My inspiration for street photography was initially obtained from Flickr and Magnum. I admire those photographers and how they captured those magic moments.
What does light mean to you?
Light is one of the attributes of God. It is eternal and infinite. All objects in universal are in relatively, except light. Its speed is absolute. Without light, everything will disappear. Therefore, I respect and love it.
Please tell us what photographic equipment you use.
I used Leica x1 (2011 - 2012) and Sony RX1 (2013 - 2017). Now, I am using Fujifilm X100F. All of them are very light and so I can hold them the whole day long and don’t feel tired.
Street photography seems difficult: to capture a fleeting moment with a story, to be attentive and fast. What are the important elements to keep in mind when taking street photography?
Inspiration for art does not come from thinking or drugs. On the opposite, we should stop thinking. When the mind is empty and observation is deep and concentrated, creativity will then boom. Every time, when a new inspiration comes up, no matter if it is a fun idea or not, I feel grateful. It likes God is communicating with me. In summary, I always remind myself of deep observation and concentration in the street photography process.
Your images have amazing creativity. Where do you think your success comes from?
As I said above, the important elements in the street photography process are deep observation and concentration. On the other hand, there are two more factors to keep me continuously shooting - discipline and love. We should have the discipline to keep shooting no matter the rainy day / 40 degrees C / sad / happy / etc... Love is even more important than discipline. Without love, it is difficult to keep shooting only with discipline.
How do you find the inspiration for your street stories? What do you look for in your scenes and subjects, how do you distinguish the extraordinary from the ordinary?
Repeatedly, inspiration is from deep observation and concentration. In the whole process, I do not seek something to shoot. Seeking means copycat and is actually led by thinking. Instead, I see every scene and subject in deep. If luck comes, extraordinary from the ordinary will then be obtained.
What do you think about inspiration, do we have to cultivate it every day through different methods or does it come naturally?
I don’t know how to cultivate or train deep and concentrated observation; however, you can test yourself whether you have this ability. Can you read a book without being interrupted by scrolling on your cell phone? Can you stop thinking during the shower? Can you hear the bird sing in the park? Can you sit down and enjoy the still night? The key is awareness. You should cultivate awareness, which is important for all art forms.
How often do you go out for street photography? Do you think you need luck in street photography or is it enough to pay attention?
I treat street photography as part of my life and it implies I actually go out for street photography every day. I usually hold my camera when I am on the way to work or home. If I am not exhausted by my office work, I could even shoot for the lunch break. Yes, luck is necessary. Street photography is the art of failure. 99% of what I shot could be very bad but at least 1% of them might be excellent.
What does the street mean to you? What do you hope to find when you go out to photograph the street?
As I said above, I treat street photography as part of my life. Then, for me, the word “street” in street photography can be outdoor street, restaurant, subway, home, beach, etc... When I go out to shoot, I expect nothing. Once again, I don’t seek/find but just enjoy and observe everything surrounding me.
Do you think that a street photo must necessarily include something alive?
The word “alive” is too abstract for me. Personally, to make a street photo (art, not journalism) have high recognition, I think street photos must include individual subjectivity. The street photographer observes everything, re-form them by his/her individual subjectivity, and presents it by photo.
Please tell us a little bit about your way of work. Do you interact with the subjects in your photography or do you try to be as unobtrusive as possible?
No stage and no interaction with the subjects unless I want to selfie my shadow.
Your photobook "RE-FORM" was distributed in the bookstore of the Hong Kong Museum of Art. What can you share about this project?
Re-Form was published by brownie publishing. The project was actually really long. They initially contacted me in 2017 and asked me to shoot more for photo selection. After two years, the photobook was eventually published in 2019. After several announcement events, I had already not noticed how it was distributed. However, when I visited the bookstore of the Hong Kong Museum of Art and found my photo book, I was really surprised and of course happy.
What do you want to convey to the viewer through your photos?
I hope the viewer is happy and furthermore want to inspire the viewers how to create their own ways of observation through my photos.
Of all the genres, documentary photography is the closest to street photography. Have you ever thought about experimenting with this?
No, documentary photography is too tough for an elder, i.e. me :-)
Do you have a favorite photographer that you appreciate and who has influenced your photographic journey?
When I started street photography, I learned from Magnum photographers, e.g. Martin Parr, etc. They influenced me.
How do you imagine the evolution of your artistic work? Are you working on any new projects at the moment?
Recently, I travelled to Japan. The trip was fun and I captured several good photos. I find out the styles of photos that I took in Hong Kong and Japan are quite different. The photos from Hong Kong are funny but the photos from Japan are more artistic. I am thinking maybe I should quit my engineering jobs and then travel and shoot :-). Furthermore, so far, I didn’t have any personal photo exhibitions. The next project may look for agencies or sponsors to help me hold an exhibition.